Young Souls for Steam is a roguelike RPG game developed by 1P2P and published by The Arcade Crew. You start with controlling two teen twin orphans, Jenn and Tristan, who are fighting against unworldly threats such as goblins and trolls. Immediately after starting the game, I was impressed by Young Souls’ polished graphics and intricate fighting system as it jumps right into a fight scene against major enemies. However, Young Souls also includes a prologue of sorts where Jenn and Tristan have to fight the image of being good-for-nothing rebellious teens in a small city. I got to see their character development with their adoptive father, the Professor, as well as an in-depth look at the town.
Gameplay + Experience:
As an RPG, Jenn and Tristan are able to become orphans to heroes of the world that they live in. They start off relatively ignorant of the vast underground world beneath them to slowly become able to fight off the monsters that they weren’t able to before.
Immediately after the game started, I was introduced to the main aspects of the battle system. The main feature is the 2D scrolling feature as well as the roguelike dungeons and enemies that the two protagonists will have to encounter. There are many caves, lairs and locked doors as I slowly crept through the dungeon, looking for treasure but also praying for survival. The dungeon aspect of the game is complex and includes both mystery and suspense as the unknown always lies ahead. The dialogue between the two protagonists adds a bit of comedy as well as seriousness as they grow more and more accustomed to the unknown world beneath the human world.
Customization:
There are so many ways to customize the two twins, from clothing, to armor and weapons, to attributes, items and upgrades. There is the opportunity to switch between Jenn and Tristan at will, which allows for strategy of when to optimally switch them as well as the ability to customize and upgrade them differently based on your preferences and needs. For example, Jenn could be built as a more speedy and damage heavy, but have less HP while Tristan could be slower and defensive, but have more HP.
Along with fighting monsters, there is also a more slice of life aspect as well. The open world-like map allows a person to spend an hour fighting monsters, but then change to selling the Professor’s old wares, working out in the gym, and going to their home to sleep for the night. The additional options allow for more world-building as well as a respite from the constant fighting in the underground dungeons.
Final Thoughts:
I would definitely recommend Young Souls to any RPG and roguelike fans with its polished graphics and a complex fighting system. However, I would also recommend this game to other players that wouldn’t necessarily be experienced with the fighting/RPG genre because of its interesting story and the many other options included in Young Souls. One thing to point out is that Young Souls is a more mature game with explicit language, so it might not be for younger audiences.
You can wishlist Young Souls for PC via Steam. The game is slated to release Q4 2021.
I started gaming on the PS2 playing 2K and various fighting games, then played a lot of Nintendo Wii games. Currently, I like playing JRPGs as well as platformers and MOBAs. In a video game, I enjoy exploring the intricacies of fighting systems as well as viewing various character developments throughout the story of the game.
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